Earlier this month, Global Drinks Intel announced the winners of its inaugural ESG Awards. Here’s a look at why the winners won.
Sustainable Wine Product – The Hidden Sea
With the tagline ‘Wines that matter for people who care’, Australia’s The Hidden Sea has made its mission to help the world’s oceans as prominent – if not more so – than its wines. “The founding principal of The Hidden Sea,” the company says, “was to create … a real movement. To remove plastic from the ocean.”
Founded in 2020, The Hidden Sea has set a target of removing and recycling 1bn single-use plastic bottles from the sea by 2030 through a partnership with NGO eSea Project. The company has identified a consumer that “wants to support brands striving for positive change” and leveraged this last year with a high-profile activation at the COP27 summit in Egypt. As co-sponsor, The Hidden Sea supported the erection of a ‘plastic pyramid’ comprising around 1m plastic bottles rescued from the River Nile.
“By buying The Hidden Sea, you’re helping to safeguard the planet for future generations,” says co-founder Justin Moran. “Our big bang activity gets attention globally, but the biggest value comes in small actions every day. In ‘Plastic Free July’ in 2022, we led 31 beach cleans in 31 days. This year, we launched ‘Line in the Sand’, which is a social movement to encourage everyone to make their own stand against plastic waste.”
“Our goal is to make the cause of ocean health everyone’s business.”
Special Commendation – Sea Change Wine
The Sea Change portfolio of 20 variants covers most areas of the wine category – It also has the oceans in mind. Among the charitable organisations to have received donations from the range’s sales are Ocean Generation, Sea-Changers and the Olive Ridley Project.
Since commencing operations in 2018, Sea Change has raised in the region of EUR350,000 [US$372,065] “towards marine conservation and the fight against plastic pollution”. The company has also foregone the familiar designs on wine labels for images of the sea animals its partners are working to protect.
At the same time, Sea Change focuses on its packaging footprint, including using paper made partially from grape waste for the labels.
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